Rattan cane harvesting in Lambusango forest, Buton, Indonesia: a sustainable practice or a threat to forest conservation?

Lambusango forest, Buton, Indonesia, houses the endemic and rare fauna species of Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis). It is also an important site for NTFP extraction. The most important NTFP is rattan cane (Calamus and Daemonorops), which is a common material for furniture and handicraft industries. The extraction has long taken place and is entirely manual harvesting of wild rattan canes by local villagers. With growing concerns about deforestation and forest encroachment in the tropics, NTFP extraction has been conceived as a means to balance forest conservation with the needs of local economies. However, the sustainability of rattan cane harvesting in Lambusango forest is unknown. This research assesses the extent of forest disturbance in Lambusango and its major forest-based livelihood activity: rattan cane harvesting. Assessments are undertaken to investigate the key factors affecting harvesting levels and to determine whether the current practice is sustainable. Sustainability assessments take into account resource sustainability, impacts on forest structure and economic importance to the harvesters. Forest loss to agricultural uses has mostly taken place in the forest peripheries while the core forest area shows much less change than other zones and there has also been some regeneration. The study area shows levels of woody biomass within the common range of tropical rainforests. Effects of natural factors on rattan plants and forest vegetation were assessed. Abundance and distribution of rattans are not influenced by natural factors of slope and light regime while soil pH has an effect on abundance of Calamus ornatus. It was found that tree species richness and diversity are affected primarily by topographical factors and the woody biomass and size of trees are slightly affected by soil factors. There is no significant evidence of an association between variations in tree and vegetation structure and variations in rattan abundance and presence. Harvest quantity is affected by natural factors such as terrain and accessibility, although they become less influential where the resource is abundant. Forestry laws enforced through the designated forest zone system (kawasan hutan) do not significantly affect levels of harvesting. Demographic and socioeconomic factors only marginally influence the economic importance of cane harvesting. There is some indication that more profitable, more intensive and less rigorous livelihood activities are favoured by some harvesters, making them less rattan dependent. Harvesting was found to impact understorey vegetation density and tree regeneration. A combination of natural competition and anthropogenic factors adversely affect tree-stem density. Maintaining a low level of harvesting can ensure resource sustainability. Two conceptual scenarios for the future of cane harvesting in Lambusango forest are discussed: sustainable harvesting and non-forest-based livelihoods. With a long-standing and important forest extraction activity such as rattan cane harvesting, sustainable harvesting is one pathway that can contribute to local livelihoods. Because evidence showed that only minimal impacts have occurred on forest structure and a sustainable harvest level can be maintained, efforts towards sustainable practice should be supported. Sustainable rattan cane extraction may work in combination with the ongoing efforts for sustainable management of Lambusango forest, such as those initiated by Lambusango Forest Conservation Programme (LFCP) and other potential schemes such as development of rattan agroforestry, certified NTFP and incentive-based mechanisms for forest protection

Impacts of rattan cane harvesting on vegetation structure and tree diversity of Conservation Forest in Buton, Indonesia

Lambusango Forest, Buton, Indonesia, is an example of the potential for conflict between forest conservation and long standing local extraction of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs), in this case rattan cane harvesting. This paper investigates the impacts of rattan harvesting on tree and understorey vegetation structure, species richness and diversity. Tree and understorey vegetation characteristics and soil and topographic variables were recorded in forest plots. Interviews with rattan harvesters recorded information on harvesting techniques and locations. The relationships between tree and understorey vegetation characteristics and soils, topography and rattan harvesting techniques were assessed with the multivariate ordination technique of Redundancy Analysis (RDA). Analysis of the relationships with rattan harvesting proximity and forest designation zone used Multivariate Analyses of Covariance (MANCOVA). Tree species richness and diversity are primarily affected by slope gradient and altitude, while tree size is affected mainly by soil chemical factors. Only a small part of the variation in tree structure measures can be attributed to the impacts of rattan cane harvesting. Stronger adverse effects on understorey vegetation density, including tree saplings and seedlings, were found. This is thought to be a case of rattan harvesting exacerbating the effects of competition between rattan plants and other understorey vegetation. Longer term monitoring of forest characteristics could provide stronger understanding of the impacts. However, rattan harvesting appears to have little effect on forest structure and diversity in Lambusango Forest, suggesting that relatively small scale NTFP extraction does not necessarily conflict with forest conservation

Accessibility Factors and Conservation Forest Designation Affecting Rattan Cane Harvesting in Lambusango Forest, Buton, Indonesia

Rattan cane is an important non-timber forest product (NTFP) harvested from Indonesian tropical forests. However, the extraction of NTFPs such as rattan cane may conflict with forest conservation efforts. A better understanding of harvesting practices can help assess the extent of this conflict and guide forest management decisions. This study assesses the accessibility factors that influence rattan cane harvesting levels in Lambusango Forest, Buton Island, Indonesia, and whether the harvesting of rattan cane is affected by the designation of conservation areas. To this end, the analysis adopts participatory mapping, Geographic Information Systems and a questionnaire survey and employs multiple regressions and analysis of covariance. The results show that accessibility, particularly slope and distance, can play a role in the quantity of rattan cane harvested. However, the presence of conservation forest does not significantly affect rattan cane harvesting levels. This could be due to limited awareness of the harvesters going to the vicinity of the designated conservation areas and mixed sentiments towards conservation efforts due to the long tradition of forest dwelling and harvesting activities. The study concludes that the successful establishment and management of conservation areas require consideration of the specificity of the local context such as the abundance of forest resources, accessibility and historical forest-people interactions, in addition to biological factors

Community monitoring for REDD+:international promises and field realities

Will community monitoring assist in delivering just and equitable REDD+? We assessed whether local communities can effectively estimate carbon stocks in some of the world's most carbon rich forests, using simple field protocols, and we reviewed whether community monitoring exists in current REDD+ pilots. We obtained similar results for forest carbon when measured by communities and professional foresters in 289 vegetation plots in Southeast Asia. Most REDD+ monitoring schemes, however, contain no community involvement. To close the gulf between United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change texts on involving communities and field implementation realities, we propose greater embedding of community monitoring within national REDD+ pilot schemes, which we argue will lead to a more just REDD+